Dallas Stars Blog

Scouting the enemy _ Pittsburgh _ Penguins are a solid team even without Sidney Crosby

He is the best player in the NHL. He’s shown that in flashes when he’s been healthy over the past two seasons.

Sidney Crosby has 78 points in 49 games over the past two seasons. He has scored 34 goals and added 44 assists while rolling up a plus-27 in less than 50 games. Take that out over 82 games in any season and you’re looking at a Hart Trophy. However, Crosby has been bothered by concussion-like symptoms and neck pain and has played just eight games this season. He has not played since Dec. 5.

It’s one of the great tragedies of the NHL, as Crosby is only 24, and simply has not been able to find the answer to put him back on the ice.

And yet, out of that tragedy has sprung an incredible story. The Penguins are one of the best teams in the league without Crosby. Evgeni Malkin leads all NHL scorers with 78 points in 55 games, and the Penguins tout the seventh best winning percentage in the league at .621 (36-21-5).

As good as it is, the wins and losses don’t reflect just how dominant this team has been at times. Pittsburgh ranks fourth in scoring at 3.08 goals per game, second in penalty kill success at 88.5 percent, second in shots for per game at 34.0, and third in shots against per game at 26.9. The Penguins’ shot differential of plus-7.1 is head an shoulders above any other team in the NHL.

Even their weaknesses are pretty strong, as they are 11th in goals against (2.58) and fifth on the power play at 20.9 percent.